What is the purpose of an HR assessment test?

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The purpose of a human resources assessment test is to help an employer predict how well-suited various applicants are for a particular job position. Some assessments measure general personality traits to give the employer an idea of how much potential a candidate has and how motivated she is to learn everything she needs to do the job properly. Other assessments measure how competent candidates are at more specific skills necessary to perform the job.

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Cognitive and personality assessments are one category of human resources tests. Some of these tests screen applicants for intelligence or measure whether they possess the essential knowledge to tackle the job. Others evaluate candidates on the basis of certain personality traits such as introversion versus extroversion. An employer may want to know whether applicants are more introverted or extroverted if the position involves talking regularly with customers, for example.

Motivational assessments are another category. These human resources tests evaluate each applicant's motivations to determine whether they are compatible with the company's goals.

Human resources professionals may also use assessments to measure how well an employee is performing after getting the job. Such assessments judge employees on factors such as client outcomes, client satisfaction and work flow. Human resources departments sometimes issue organizational assessments to help the overall company identify areas of the company's organization that work well and areas that require improvement.